Haunted Charleston

A city with a tumultuous past that spans over 300 years, Charleston is haunted by the restless spirits of its former residents. Find out the ghosts stories that haunt this historic city.

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Photo By: Courtesy of Charleston Stage

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Photo By: Battery Carriage House Inn

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St. Phillips Graveyard

Even though St. Phillips church hangs a sign that reads, “The only ghost here is the Holy Ghost,” others believe the ghost of Sue Howard, a woman who died shortly after giving birth to a stillborn baby, haunts this graveyard in the Holy City. The apparition is said to haunt pregnant women and women who have had miscarriages who pass by. An amateur photograph from 1987 even captured the ghost mourning over a grave.

Old Exchange Building

This historic landmark in Charleston played many roles in the city’s past -- including being a prison during the American Revolution, and before then, housing some of the world’s most notorious criminals like the pirate Blackbeard. Now it is famous for its paranormal activity, like reported sightings of swinging chains and orbs, as well as inducing feelings of “cold spots.”

Old City Jail

In the heart of Charleston’s historic district lies the Old City Jail, which once housed the city’s most notorious convicts, pirates and Civil War prisoners. It was also the site for the public execution of the first US female serial killer, Lavina Fisher, who creepily wore her wedding dress in her final minutes. Our very own Ghost Adventures team investigated the ghost of Lavina Fisher at this haunted historic landmark with their signature lockdown.

Poogan’s Porch Restaurant

If you want to combine a delicious lowcountry meal with your ghost hunting, this is the place. Poogan’s diners frequently report sightings of the restaurant’s resident ghost Zoe, a spinster schoolteacher who used to live in this once grand Victorian until her death in 1954. Who’s Poogan, then? A 4-legged dog whose presence also remains here, on “his” porch even after his death in 1979.

Dock Street Theatre

This working performance arts theatre has had a tumultuous past, including fires and even an earthquake, since it opened in 1735. It is considered one of most haunted places in Charleston, with 2 ghosts roaming the theatre. One ghost is the spirit of famous actor Junius Brutus Booth, the father of John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot Abraham Lincoln, and the second is a nameless ghost believed to be a prostitute.

Unitarian Church Graveyard

This overgrown cemetery is the home of the ghost of Annabel Lee, the subject of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem of the same name. Annabel’s father opposed her seeing Poe, a sailor in the Navy at the time, so the 2 lovers engaged in a forbidden tryst meeting at the cemetery. Even when Annabel Lee died of yellow fever her father wanted to keep the lovers apart, so he dug up all the graves around hers so that heartbroken Poe wouldn’t know which one was Annabel’s. Many claim to see Annabel’s ghost roaming the cemetery today, still searching for her lost love.

Battery Carriage Inn

Known as "Charleston’s most haunted inn," this B&B dates back to 1843 and is reportedly home to several ghosts, including "The Headless Torso," who haunts Room 8, and the "Gentleman Ghost," who appears in Room 10 from time to time.

White Point Garden

This public park in Charleston’s historic district looks out over Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter. In the early 1700s, a group of about 50 pirates were hanged here in a public execution. Now the pirates’ spirits are said to still roam the park, searching for their executioners.

Boone Hall Plantation

One of America’s oldest working, living plantations, Boone Hall has a history that spans over 330 years. As one of the Charleston’s most popular tourist attractions, known for its iconic “Avenue of Oaks,” Boone Hall has paranormal activity lurking behind its beautiful setting, too. The most notable is the frequent sightings of a soldier ghost removing a bullet out of injured comrade.

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Charleston

Haunted Charleston

Related To:

Shop This Look

St. Phillips Graveyard

Old Exchange Building

Old City Jail

Poogan’s Porch Restaurant

Dock Street Theatre

Unitarian Church Graveyard

Battery Carriage Inn

White Point Garden

Boone Hall Plantation

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